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Rivers of Peace Campaign

A Global Peace Foundation project in:

The Rivers of Peace Campaign is a network of individuals, families, communities and organizations dedicated to restoring the waters and embankments of culturally significant rivers. Through public awareness programs and service projects, the campaign seeks to conserve local water resources and build social cohesion.

Currently, the Rivers of Peace Campaign provides a platform for experts, scientists, academics, dedicated citizens and organizations to discuss, plan and organize activities to revive and restore key waterways of the Bagmati River and its tributaries in Nepal.

Project Details

Rational: The Bagmati River is a holy river flowing through the heart of Kathmandu Valley. Many religious rituals and festivals are held on the banks of the river that flows beside the Pashupatinath Temple, the most significant Hindu temple of Shiva and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.In recent years the Bagmati River has become a dumping site for people’s refuse and untreated sewage. At one point, UNESCO proposed to remove the Pashupatinath Temple from the list of World Heritage Sites. The Rivers of Peace Campaign was launched during the 2010 Global Peace Festival as a means of addressing the worsening conditions of the river and bring healing and unity after the violence at the turn of the century. Activities: The main focus of the program is the restoration and revitalization of the Bagmati River from Guheshwori to Bhramanal. Regular discussion forums, international day observances and clean up projects have gradually transformed the section of the river. In 2013, the Guheshwori Peace Park was established in 2013 from a restored dumping ground on the river bank. A major partner of the River of Peace Campaign is the High Power Committee for Integrated Development of Bagmati Civilization (HPCIDBC), a government agency.